1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a rope tie of simple construction utilizing fewer components and thus involving lower molding costs in an arrangement that features a rope securing post capable of extension and retraction which provides for positive and stable positioning.
2) Dsecription of the Related Art
When delivery vehicles transport cargo, ropes are normally utilized to lash down cargo onto the vehicle, with the ropes secured by means of ties fastened to the vehicle. Such ties are typically hook-type fixtures installed around the freight bed and loading gates, wherein the ropes are wrapped around the said fixtures a number of times to keep cargo stationary.
The inventor Halford S. Harris introduced a Retractable Cleat Device under U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,388. The said invention provides a housing, the housing having a cleat loaded by a spring, with an opening formed in the cleat for securing rope. The upward extension and downward retraction of the cleat derives from a rotatably mounted star-shaped body pawl at the side of the cleat, wherein the said star-shaped pawl tracks up and down in a slot and after the star-shaped pawl contacts two posts at the upper extent of the slot, the star-shaped pawl rotates and changes direction, with the star-shaped pawl changing direction and rotating each time the cleat ascends and descends, the differing situations of contact and rotation providing for the movement of the cleat up to a high position and back down to a low position. However, this kind of extension and retraction to achieve repositioning is not ideal because of the excessive points of contact involved to achieve rotation, an arrangement requiring a design of considerable difficulty that facilitates effective control over contact point timing and dimensions and, furthermore, which entails an overly complex structure and rather high molding costs; such a product has never been observed on the market.
Following U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,388 Halford S. Harris filed a further iteration of the said Retractable Cleat Device under U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,248. In the above continuance, the means of positional extension and retraction was modified into a cylindrical cam having a curvilinear groove along its exterior surface and cam followers mounted in the side walls of the housing that project into the cam groove, with the arrangement achieving positional upward extension and downward retraction by the application and release of pressure in an approach resembling that of a conventional mechanical pencil. While such a means is understandable, the structural design of the said cam is similarly complex, high in molding cost, and impractical.
The objective of the invention herein is to provide an improved rope tie comprised of a base consisting of a cylindrical housing and a mounting plate, a first bore and a second bore fabricated in the housing with a first shoulder section formed at their confluence and a second groove having a second locating point and, furthermore, a post movably disposed in the base consisting of a first columnar section and a second columnar section with a second shoulder section formed at their confluence, a spring seated between the second shoulder section and the said first shoulder section, a check section at one extremity of the post, and a hitch hole formed through the first columnar section such that the check section engages the first groove or the second groove to thereby enable the re-positioning of the post.